We live in a society that is increasingly dominated by technology. In fact, if you’re around my age or younger, you grew up with ever-present technology. Maybe your cell phone was amazing when you first got it in 6th grade, but now your iPhone wakes you up in the morning, stays in your hand all day, and rests on your bedside table. Obviously, this will have an effect on us. Some people, especially from older generations, feel that technology serves to isolate us. They feel that we are absorbed in our phones and oblivious to the world around us. Others, like Sherry Turkle in her “Always-on/Always-on-you” article, argue that too much of our identity seeps into our technology (as if each time we speak into a phone, it sucks our soul out Dementor style). However, in many ways, technology opens us up.
The world has gotten a whole lot smaller with the help of technology. From my classroom in New Jersey, I can read updates from my family in West Virginia or read about recent immigration bans instead of paying attention to my professor. We are so much more aware of events happening around the globe than we would have been 20 years ago. With increasing awareness and conversation, we can pursue justice on a global scale. This rapid globalization not only improves social awareness, but also promotes opportunity. It is easier than ever for someone to seek employment in another country. Up until quite recently, it was also easy to find a new life in another country.
Technology also serves as an outlet for experimentation. As Turkle mentions, periods of transition require periods of experimentation. One crucial group that can take advantage of this new realm is teenagers. Many kids in middle school (and some in college) have no idea who they are yet. Aspects of the internet like chatrooms and virtual reality allow for these liminal individuals to try on different personalities and traits. Certain aspects of identity, like gender and sexuality, can be explored more safely online than in real life. Want to be goth? Try a virtual reality game. Think you might be attracted to the same gender? Hit up a chatroom. The internet provides the opportunity to put on these masks and remove them whenever necessary.
One concern that I do entertain when it comes to the downsides of technology is the concept of perpetual contact. We are, basically, always within reach. If you want to talk to someone, you text them. If they don’t answer, you call them. Then, you FaceTime them. Then, you slide into their dms on social media. Then, I suppose, you could send some sort of aggressively worded email. So my concern is for those who are introverted or often need breaks from social interaction. It is so hard to unplug nowadays that some people are forced to engage when they simply need a break.
The important thing to keep in mind when dealing with technology in any form is the Golden Mean. This theory was most idealized by the Greeks and, essentially, argues that all things can be enjoyed in moderation. If you’re working all day on your laptop, take a break and go for a stroll outside. If you’re feeling stressed out about your phone constantly going off, turn on airplane mode. If your email is so backed up that it makes you nauseous, just delete all. Take time for yourself, even if it means checking out from civilization. The internet will always wait for you.
(http://web.mit.edu/sturkle/www/Always-on%20Always-on-you_The%20Tethered%20Self_ST.pdf) link to article